Shoulder strap fastening means



H. l. ELKIES 2,845,630

Aug. 5, 1958 SHOULDER STRAP FASTENING MEANS Filed Aug. 21, 1956 INVENTOR l. ELKIES HARRY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,845,630 7 SHOULDER STRAP FASTENING MEANS Harry I. Elkies, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Gemsco, Inc., a corporation of New York Application August 21, 1956, Serial No. 605,328 3 Claims. (Cl. 2-246) This invention relates to shoulder straps worn on the uniforms of oflicers of the military and other armed forces.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified shoulder strap such as used on the coats and blouses of army ofiicers, which has a bendable but shape-retaining metal backing plate that is entirely covered by the insignia-carrying fabric and that has a pair of integral tongues to detachably engage the spaced metal strips sewed to the shoulder portions of the coat or jacket, the tongues being of such construction that the fabric covering may be quickly and effectively sewed on the backing plate.

Another object is to provide such an improved shoulder strap which may be curved longitudinally to fit the shoulders, which will retain the shape into which it is bent to properly support the embroidered insignia, and which may be readily removed from the coat when the latter is to be cleaned or pressed, and as readily reapplied.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention resides in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts and the novel features of construction hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which show the present peferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a top view of the improved shoulder strap;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view on an enlarged scale and showing in dotted lines the usual metal securing strips which are to be sewed to the shoulders of the garment;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the metal backing plate before it is covered by the fabric which carries the embroidered insignia.

Referring more in detail to the drawings the numeral denotes a shoulder strap comprising a metal backing plate 11 and a fabric covering 12 on which is embroidered or otherwise secured the insignia 13 indicating rank, branch of the service, etc. The backing plate 11 is of substantially rectangular shape and may be of a size corresponding to that of the insignia. It is made of aluminum or other sheet metal which is pliable or ductile rather than resilient. The plate 11 is formed adjacent its ends with oppositely facing longitudinally extending tongues 14 adapted to be detachably engaged with metal securing strips 15 in the usual manner. The strips or straps 15, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, have enlarged offset apertured ends 16 so that they may be sewed to the shoulder portion of a garment in parallel relation and spaced apart a distance substantially greater than that between the free end portions of the tongues 14.

The plate and its tongues are stamped from a flat metal sheet or strip, and the tongues are then bent up at right angles to the plane of the sheet, as shown in Fig. 5,

taken on the line 4-4 This disposition of the parts and the construction of the tongues greatly facilitate sewing of the fabric covering 12 on the plate. The plate 11 has parallel side edges 17 and end edges 18, and while its side edges are continuous, its end edges are formed with centrally positioned notches 19 and the tongues 14 are bent up from the bottoms of the notches, as at 20, so that they will be laterally or inwardly offset from the end edges 18. The tongues are of generally rectangular shape with rounded free ends 21. After the covering has been applied as later described, the major portions of the tongues are bent toward each other into parallel relation with the plate as seen in Fig. 3, so that the inner or base portions of the tongues form transverse shanks which project rearwardly from the bottom of the notches and space the major portions of the tongues from the plate. The width of the tongues is about one-third of the width of the plate 11 and a little less than the length of the notches 19. Stamped partly in the base of the tongues and their shank portions and partly in the adjacent portions of the plate are circular openings 22 so that when the tongues are bent at right angles to the plate they will be united with the latter by narrow connecting portions or legs 23 which form the shank portions, to facilitate the sewing of the fabric covering 12 to the plate 11 as later described.

The covering may be made of any suitable textile fabric and it is large enough in size to cover both the front and back of the plate as well as its edges. The desired insignia 3 is sewed or otherwise mounted on the generally rectangular piece of fabric adjacentto one of its longitudinal edges 25 which latter is folded around one of the longitudinal edges of the backing plate, when the insignia is positioned opposite the front of the plate. The wider portion of the fabric along the other side of the insignia is then folded around the opposite longitudinal edge of the plate. The portion of the covering at the rear is slit to receive the bent up tongues. It covers the back of the plate, brought into overlapping contact with the edge 25 and sewed thereto as at 29. The end edges 30 of the fabric are folded rearwardly over the end edges 18 of the plate and disposed under the ends of the portion 27 of the fabric. A row of stitches 31 unites these parts. The openings 22 at the base of the tongues permit the contiguous portions of said slits to be brought into contact between the legs or shanks 23 and if desired, they may be united by a row of stitches 32. Thus both faces of the backing plate will be entirely covered with only the tongues exposed. The tongues 14 may then be bent downwardly toward each other into substantially parallel relation to the body of the plate. Since the backing plate is made of pliable metal and the embroidered insignia is flexible, the completed shoulder strap may be bent to give it a longitudinal curvature so that it will lie close to the shoulder portion of the garment and present a neat appearance. At the same time the metal has suflicient stiffness to properly support all portions of the insignia.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been made for carrying out the objects of the invention, and while preferences have been disclosed, attention is invited to the possibility of making variations within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim: I

l. A shoulder strap to be worn on uniforms of the armed forces comprising a generally rectangular backing plate of pliable metal, a pair of centrally positioned and longitudinally spaced, metallic attaching tongues carried by said backing plate at the rear thereof, said tongues projecting toward each other and having transas at 27, its side edge 28 being '2,845,630 J g V H versely extending shank portions which off-set them from the rear face of the plate, and an insignia-carrying textile fabric covering extending over both the front and rear faces of the plate, the covering at the rear. face having transverse slits through which said shanks extend to dispose the tongues on the outside of the covering, and stitching substantially along edge portions of the shoulder strap, said stitching fastening together the front and rear portions of the covering.

2. A shoulder strap to be worn on uniforms of the armed forces comprising a generally rectangular backing plate of pliable metal, said plate having at its ends centrally positioned notches, a pair of centrally positioned and longitudinally spaced attaching tongues projecting inwardly toward each other and integrally formed with transversely extending shank portions which are integrally formed with said plate and project rearwardly from the bottoms of said notches to off-set said tongues from the rear face of said plate, a textile fabric insignia-carrying covering extending over both the front and rear faces of said plate, the covering at the rear face having transverse slits through which said shanks extend to dispose the tongues on the outside of the covering, stitching substantially along edge portions of the shoulder strap, said stitching fastening together the front and rear portions of the covering, said tongues and their shank portions and the adjacent portions of said plate being formed with openings which divide said shanks into spaced leg portions and which permit the covering at the intermediateportions of the slits to be stitched together.

3. A shoulder strap to be worn on uniforms of the armed forces comprising a generally rectangular backing plate of pliable metal, said plate having at its ends centrally positioned notches, a pair of centrally positioned and longitudinally spaced attaching tongues integrally formed with transversely extending shank portions which are integrally formed with said plate and project rearwardly from the bottoms of said notches to off-set said tongues from the rear face of said plate, a textile fabric insignia-carrying covering extending over both the front and rear faces of said plate, the covering at the rear face having transverse slits through which said shanks extend to dispose the tongues on the outside of the covering, said tongues and their shanks and the adjacent portions of the plate being formed with openings which divide said shanks into spaced leg portions and which permit the covering along the intermediate portions of the slits to be sewed together, said covering comprising a substantially rectangular piece of fabric of more than twice the area of said plate, the portion of the fabric on the outer face of the plate carrying the insignia and having one of its longitudinal edges folded around one longitudinal edge of the plate, the portion of the fabric extending from the opposite longitudinal edge of the insigma-carrying front portion being folded around the other longitudinal edge of the plate and over the rear face of the latter and then sewed to said one longitudinal edge of the fabric, the portions of the fabric extending beyond the ends of the plate being folded around the end edges of the plate and into overlapping engagement with the portion of the fabric covering the rear face of the plate and sewed thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,980,744 Borchert et al Nov. 13, 1934 2,088,872 Ruben Aug. 3, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS 667,946 Germany Nov. 23, 1938 

